1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of grass trimmers and, more particularly, to a grass trimming system for cutting grass around a substantially ground level head cover, such as a sprinkler head of an underground irrigation system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Many grass covered areas, such as public parks, dog parks, ball fields and, particularly, golf courses1 are provided with underground sprinkler or irrigation systems, as well as other ground level objects such as yardage markers and drain covers. Underground sprinklers are used for a variety of reasons, such as convenience, safety and aesthetics as they do away with unsightly hoses and sprinklers that lay about the landscape.
Typically, an underground sprinkler system includes a plurality of independently controlled zones each having an associated plurality of sprinkler heads. The zones may be manually activated for a undetermined period or, more commonly, through a central controller that establishes particular on and off times, as well as a desired duration of each “on”time. In any case, the sprinkler heads are generally positioned even with, or slightly below, ground level so as to allow a lawn mower to pass over head without causing damage to the sprinkler head. When activated, the sprinkler head will “pop-up”either partially or fully above the ground to emit a stream of water that is directed over a prescribed area.
As the sprinkler heads are mounted at or below ground level, grass growing around the sprinkler head may grow too close, thereby preventing the sprinkler head from operating correctly. Moreover, as the sprinkler heads are periodically trod upon or, for that matter, driven upon by lawn equipment, dirt can build up around the head and also interfere with normal operation. Towards that end, landscape maintenance people and groundskeepers must periodically trim around the sprinkler heads. When choosing a tool to trim around the sprinkler heads, there is a wide array of choices. However, all the trimming tools fall into one of two general categories: manual and motor driven.
Manually operated trimming tools typically consist of a main shaft having a handle provided at one end, and a cutting blade at the other. The cutting blade is centered over the sprinkler head and the handle rotated to cut or trim the grass. While effective, manual trimming tools are a bit unwieldy, and are also a bit slower than their motor-driven counterparts which, like the manually operated trimming tool, typically include a shaft having a cutting head mounted at one end. However, unlike manually operated tools, the opposite end of the shaft is either connected to a powered trimmer or driven by a rotary tool, such as a battery operated drill. In operation, the cutting head is placed over the sprinkler head and the powered trimmer or rotary tool activated, thereby driving the cutting head to cut the grass. While also very effective, the powered trimmers currently available are difficult to center over the sprinkler head. Often times, the cutting head will cut an asymmetrical area around the sprinkler. If the tool is not centered correctly, the cutting head could detrimentally impact the sprinkler head itself or, for that matter, underlying water piping or even electrical wiring that could render the sprinkler head inoperable. Similar problems exist in connection with trimming around other ground level head cover structures, such as yardage markers, drain covers and the like.
Based on the above, there still exists a need in the art for an enhanced head cover trimming system for cutting grass around a sprinkler head. More specifically, there exists a need in the art for a trimming system for ground level head covers in general, including, in addition to sprinkler heads, drain covers, golf course yardage markers and the like.